Practical Peace For Busy Women

Being a busy working mom, I know first hand the challenges of stress and overwhelm. When I coach other busy women, creating more peace in their lives is a common goal I help them reach. Here are some tips I have used to create more practical peace in my life. Just because you don’t have the time to go to a mountain top to meditate, doesn’t mean you can’t take steps during your busy day to enjoy a more peaceful, flowing lifestyle.

Recognize your own ability to create peace:

We often believe that it is circumstances that create peace, however the good news and the bad news is that we create our own experiences. We have the ability to make any experience a peaceful one. Have you ever noticed that some people stay very calm during the most hectic of times while others are in complete chaos during slightly stressful situations? This is an example of it not being the event that causes the stress, but the reaction to that event. It can be very empowering for some to know that they have control over their level of stress. For others, however, it is easier to blame the circumstances of our lives than to start seeing and doing things differently.

Challenge yourself during hectic moments:

When you do find yourself in a stressful or demanding situation, stop and challenge yourself to handle the situation in a different way than you normally would. We can get so use to overreacting that we don’t realize that we can choose to react in a different way. Give yourself credit for any progress you make towards handling stressful situations in a more pro-active and less reactive way.

Create mini moments of peace:

Many of us do not have 30 minutes to meditate yet we can carve out time to deep breathe at stop lights or during T.V. commercials. We can find one or two minutes to relax our tensed muscles by stretching before we climb into bed at night. We can use our commute to work as a time for reflection and connection to our spiritual selves instead of a mindlessly driving with the radio blasting.

Prevent being rushed whenever possible:

For me, I find the most opportune time for feeling stressed is when I am rushed. My tolerance level goes down in direct proportion to how rushed I am. Not only does it create stress for me but everyone involved because stress isn’t something we feel in isolation. Chances are if you are stressed, so is your family. Second hand stress is a common family occurrence. Individual stress can spill over onto others who are close to you. This could be in the home environment or the workplace.

Give yourself extra time whenever possible. If you do find yourself running late, recognize your rising stress level and choose to react in a different way. Use the good old, count to 10 scenario. You might be surprised just how effective it is.

Set an intention for peaceful circumstances and situations:

As I had mentioned earlier, reacting to situations is much less effective than being pro-active. Taking a moment in the beginning to set an intention for a peaceful and enjoyable day can be magic. If you are expecting a challenging time during your day, take a few seconds prior and reflect on how you would like the outcome to be. See yourself handling your daily demands in a peaceful, calm manner. You attract what you expect so pay attention to how you think a situation will be. Expect stress and most likely you won’t be disappointed. Why not expect a perfect outcome for all involved? What have you got to lose?